A store arrangement as described hereinabove is disclosed, for instance, in U.S. application Ser. No. 08/063,581, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,397,882, incorporated herein by reference. This patent application discloses a self-service store, such as for instance a supermarket, where clients who take part in the self-registration system can obtain a scanner near the entrance of the store. In this store arrangement, for that matter, the scanner is not issued until the client has been identified.
The scanner may for instance comprise a barcode reader with which a product code present on a product selected by the client can be scanned by the client to be subsequently stored in a memory of the scanner. Naturally, the barcode may also be provided on the product by the client himself, for instance in cases where the client composes a product himself and subsequently weighs it using a weighing device, whereafter the weighing device produces a sticker with a barcode to be attached to the product.
When the client has finished shopping, he proceeds to a readout station where the information about the registered articles as stored in the memory of the scanner is read out. The readout station then prints a receipt listing all the articles registered by the client. The client takes the receipt to a cash desk, known per se, and submits it to a member of the store personnel, whereafter payment can be effected on the basis of the receipt with generally known instruments of payment. If applicable, a spot check can take place to verify whether the information stored in the memory is correct, i.e. corresponds with the articles selected by the client. Payment is effected in a manner corresponding with payment occurring at a cash desk where the articles are consecutively entered in the cash register by the store personnel member himself or are registered through a barcode.
After paying and handing in the scanner, the client can leave the store. An advantage of such a system is that the queues at a cash desk are reduced considerably because the selected goods no longer need to be registered one by one at a cash desk. Partly because of the great success of the system, there is a need for a system that can function even faster and more efficiently. Because many clients make use of the system, it is still possible in particular cases that short queues form at a cash desk because, depending on the mode of payment, it may still take a length of time to pay the amount indicated on the receipt.